lying-in

American  

[lahy-ing-in] / ˈlaɪ ɪŋˈɪn /

noun

plural

lyings-in, lying-ins

1. the state of being in childbed; confinement.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or providing facilities for childbirth.

   a lying-in hospital.

lying-in British  

noun

1. 1. confinement in childbirth

   2. ( as modifier )

      a lying-in hospital

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Etymology

Origin of lying-in

First recorded in 1400–50, lying-in is from late Middle English lyynge in. See lie ², -ing ¹, in

Example Sentences

Columbia Women’s opened for business inside a former mansion as a “hospital and dispensary for the treatment of diseases peculiar to women, and a lying-in asylum,” according to its congressional charter.

From Washington Post • Aug. 17, 2019

His mother, during her lying-in period in the year 1812, was reading a popular novel, The Three Spaniards, that had as its hero a derring-do lad named Fernando.

From Time Magazine Archive

Reporters dashed through the open door, heard the majority of the scientists declare that the babies had been properly labeled at the lying-in hospital† but somehow switched as the mothers returned to their homes.

From Time Magazine Archive

The large lying-in cast of Life Begins emphasizes the predicament of its most pathetic member, Grace Sutton.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Aha!" exclaimed the doctor, pouncing upon the volume and glancing at the title-page, "here we have it; here's enough to convert a lying-in hospital into Bedlam."

From Mr. Claghorn's Daughter by Trent, Hilary